“Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.” Joshua 14:12 (NKJV)
Caleb, one of two spies sent into Canaan by Moses, stood before Joshua as he distributed the land they had conquered on the western side of the Jordan River. Though 85 years of age, Caleb did not ask for a lush pasture but for a mountain. He believed that, with the Lord’s help, he would conquer the inhabitants and dwell in the Land God had promised as his inheritance. Caleb could have chosen the easy option, settling for a peaceful valley instead of a mountain. But he knew God had much greater things for him.
It is tempting, at times, to choose the easier path, to compromise, or to settle for less-than-best. Yet God urges us to press into those situations that stretch our faith. Time and again, I have witnessed jaw-dropping miracles – often in direct answer to prayer – that have sent me to my knees in praise as God used those arduous, mountain-conquering moments to showcase His most jaw-dropping miracles. Not just to display His might and power but to erase any doubt that He’s the One orchestrating events.
I love the way this passage wraps up: “Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb . . . because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.” Caleb was a prime example of great faith that engendered great blessings.